The organizational meeting for the 2016 Summer/Fall season took place on June 29th at Dolce Vita. A total of 22 teams will take part in the season, split into 3 divisions.
http://www.itaewonpool.org/index.php?option=com_ipl&view=league&layout=standings&Itemid=9&lang=en
Dominic opened the proceedings by welcoming everyone and running through the captains' responsibilities.
We then got down to the nitty gritty and discussed and voted on some proposals.
Proposal 1: To shorten the season to 18 weeks and make the playoffs Wednesday only (no Sunday games).
Bernard made the case for the proposal explaining that some people find it hard to play on Sundays because of family commitments. Other captains made some comments and the issue was voted on. The proposal was defeated 14:1. There will be no changes to the 20 week season and the playoffs will run Sunday/Wednesday as usual.
Proposal 2: To move the end of season tournaments forward to avoid clashing with playoff games.
During the discussion of Proposal 1 it was brought up that playing tournaments on the same weekends as playoffs was unnecessary and the tournaments should be brought forward. The proposal was passed unanimously so end of season tournaments will be played before the playoffs begin.
Proposal 3: To hold extra tournaments in bars with the results counting towards IPL ratings.
This was a hotly discussed issue with the majority of those present against the proposal. It was generally agreed that there were enough matches, tournaments, and playoff games already.
Proposal 4: To change the rules to encourage players to make a genuine attempt to hit their ball when snookered, and to stop players deliberately playing an opponent's ball.
This proposal led to a lively discussion but was ultimately defeated 12:3. It was felt that a change in the rules was unwarranted and that any changes would be too hard to referee in any case.
Proposal 5: To change the home/away seedings in the playoffs.
It was felt by many that the top seeds in the playoffs should lose their home advantage if they lose their first game. This topic also stirred the passions of many captains and a wide variety of opinions were expressed. Eventually the executive committee decided that the topic was extremely complex and needed to be studied in detail. A concrete proposal will be offered for a vote in the midseason meeting.
Dominic finished the meeting by announcing the intention of the executive committee to stand down at the end of the season. He invited anyone interested in running the league to come forward.
The meeting ended in a celebratory mood with everyone looking forward to another competitive and sporting season. Except for one killjoy. There's always one.
